Growing Communities, a local social enterprise that works on fostering community and improving the environment, developed a new organic fruit and vegetable community growing project at Allens Gardens in Hackney. Part of the project included building a classroom at the rear of the site for educational use. The classroom has a composting toilet, hand-washing facilities and low level desks. A sedum-based roof makes the environmental aims of the project clear in a visual and immediate way to even very young children.
Although small (30m2), the building is designed to be permanent and efficient to use, and comprises a highly insulated timber frame shell on two steel beams supported on drilled steel piles. It is fully accessible, including the composting loo that separates off urine, piping it directly to feed the adjacent fruit trees.
Completed in 2005 at a cost of £35,000.